The heir apparent

July 10, 1994

Little is known about Kim Jong II the bespected 52-year-old known as the" Dear Leader"who has been carefully groomed to succeed Kim II Sung. "the Great Leader". Like his father, the younger Mr. Kim has been the object of a state-promoted personality cult for decades, Western intelligence services have long portrayedhim as brutal and paranoid. But evidence of his true temperament is scant, given the secretive nature of the North Korean leadership.